Diagnosis of Scleroderma

Your doctor may be able to diagnose scleroderma by taking a careful history of your symptoms and doing a thorough physical examination. Your doctor will look for classic skin changes associated with scleroderma. These include calcium deposits under the skin and changes in the tiny blood vessels, called capillaries, at the base of your fingernails. The skin changes of scleroderma are often characteristic enough to allow your doctor to accurately diagnose the condition. Other examination and testing may be done to look for organ involvement.

Localized scleroderma may be diagnosed when the disease affects only the skin in isolated parts of the body

Systemic sclerosis may be diagnosed when the disease involves Raynaud’s phenomenon and affects widespread areas of skin and/or internal organs.

There are no specific tests that can completely confirm or eliminate the possibility of
scleroderma.

If there are any questions, your doctor may recommend other tests to confirm the diagnosis or to evaluate how severely your internal organs are involved.

Such tests may include:

Blood Tests

A number of blood tests can point towards the presence of scleroderma. These include:

C-reactive protein

Erythrocyte sedimentation rate

Antinuclear antibody

Antitopoisomerase I antibodies (anti-Scl 70)

Anticentromere antibody

Antimitochondrial antibodies

Imaging Tests

These tests can visualize the internal organs to see how the disease has affected them. Specific areas of the body to be examined with imaging tests may be chosen based on your symptoms. Imaging tests include:

Revision Information

This content is reviewed regularly and is updated when new and relevant evidence is made available. This information is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with questions regarding a medical condition.

Scleroderma. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases website. Available at:
https://www.niams.nih.gov/Health%5FInfo/Scleroderma/default.asp. Updated August 2016. Accessed November 29, 2016.